Work in Progress(WIP)
Tuesdays,9:00am-10:00am, Room C2303 MCN
Where are they now?
Highlight from within the Division: Dr. Danyvid Olivares-Villagomez
We asked Danyvid a different set of questions...
Q: Where did you perform your doctoral research and how did you select your post-doctoral position? I did my Ph.D. in the laboratory of Dr. Juan J. Lafaille in New York University, in the program of Molecular Oncology and Immunology. My research work in Dr. Lafaille's lab was part of the original effort to resurrect the concept of regulatory T cells. Before getting my Ph.D. degree I did a M.Sc. in the old Biology Department at Vanderbilt University. During that time I took the immunology class for graduate students and one of the faculty members teaching was Dr. Luc Van Kaer. I became fascinated with the work he was doing, especially in the area of antigen presentation. After finishing my Ph.D. I contacted him for a postdoctoral position. And the rest is history.
Q: What does your current research focus on? My research interest is in mucosal immunology of the intestines, with a special emphasis on the immune responses of intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL), a group of cells residing between intestinal epithelial cells. We recently discovered and performed the initial characterization of a novel IEL population that we call innate CD8alpha (iCD8a) cells. My current research focuses on how iCD8a cells modulate responses in the intestinal epithelium.
Q: What advice would you give to current students and post-docs in the department?Science is hard but is very rewarding. I have always said that 99% of the experiments/ideas I have led nowhere, but it is that 1% that works that makes all the difference. My advice is to keep trying and trying. Yes, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but sometimes research takes us on winding roads. Just keep doing it and enjoy the ride.
Q: What do you enjoy most about our Division?I enjoy the collegiality of our division. It is easy to talk to people, share ideas and be supportive of each other. It's a great place to work.
Division Announcements
-February 12 - MP 2nd Friday Happy Hour - Sponsored by the labs of Drs. Pampee Young and Jeff Rathmell - 4:00pm, room A5305 MCN.
- February 23 - MP Division faculty meeting- 3:00pm, room A5305 MCN Chalk talk by Dr. Sebastian Joyce
- Congratulations to Drs. Louise Rollins-Smith and Joey Barnett for being elected AAAS Fellows. They will be honored on February 13, 2016 at the annual AAAS meeting in DC.
- Congratulations to Dr. Eric Skaar; he has been honored with the VICB High Impact Publication Award for his 2013 PNAS article "Molecular basis for manganese sequestration by calprotectin and roles in the innate immune response to invading bacterial pathogens", along with Dr. Walter Chazin.
- A total of 29 publications featuring commentaries, reviews and primary research have posted on NCBI from faculty in our division since last month's myMP. A publication featuring work from Dr. Larry Swift is featured below. If you would like to contribute an article highlight, from your lab or the lab of a colleague within MP, please feel free to email us!
28. Cell-free hemoglobin: a novel mediator of acute lung injury. Shaver CM, Upchurch CP, Janz DR, Grove BS, Putz N, Wickersham N, Dikalov SI, Ware LB, Bastarache JA. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2016 Jan 15:ajplung.00155.2015. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00155.2015. [Epub ahead of print]
Suzuki T., Brown J.J. & Swift L.L., PLoS One, 2016 Jan 15; 11(1): e0147252
Abetalipoproteinemia is an inherited disorder that affects the absorption of dietary fats, cholesterol, and fat-soluble vitamins. People affected by this disorder are not able to make a type of lipoproteins, called beta-lipoproteins.
An inability to make beta-lipoproteins causes severely reduced absorption of dietary fats and fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, and K) from the digestive tract into the bloodstream. This inability leads to significant deficiencies in development.
Mutations in the gene encoding the Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein have been associated with abetalipoproteinemia. Understanding more about the expression, variants and regulation of MTP may uncover insights into how to manage conditions like abetalipoproteinemia.
Work described in today's featured publication describes a new splice variant of MTP in mice, termed MTP-C. Employing RT-PCR, the authors discovered the presence of the MTP-C transcript, in addition to the already known MTP-A and MTP-B variants.
This new splice variant was found expressed in several tissues, including the brain, heart, liver and intestinal mucosa. Additional analyses indicated the ability of MTP-C variant to transport triglycerides, albeit at a lower level compared to the MTP-A and MTP-B variants. This prompted the authors to investigate the regulation of MTP-C further.
Additional studies determined that the 5'-UTR of the MTP-C variant influenced translation of the MTP protein, leading to the formation of functional but less abundant protein. The authors propose that the different variants contribute to the fine-tuning of MTP's function in different tissues.
